


Final Goodbyes

by Revasnaslan



Series: Lilacs and Wisteria [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bittersweet, M/M, Pre-Canon, Thulaz Week 2k17
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-29 12:36:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11441013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan
Summary: Ulaz's mind is made up, and no amount of persuading is going to change it.—Written for Thulaz Week Day 1 (First / Last)





	Final Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> happy thulaz week!!

It was the middle of the night cycle, on one of the mid-decks of the flagship. Ulaz should have been asleep, but he wasn’t. He had a meeting, one which he was excited for, since Thace so rarely sought him out without it being predetermined far in advance, or under direct orders from Kolivan. It wasn’t that Thace didn’t care, though. He was just absurdly careful about maintaining their cover. Looking back, Ulaz had decided that had been a good idea on Thace’s part.

Now that he was sure of what he was going to do, Ulaz didn’t want his actions to cause the Empire to call Thace’s loyalty into question. Had they been more open about their relationship, Thace would have been suspected as soon as Ulaz helped the Champion escape. Thace had worked too hard to claw his way up the Galran hierarchy for it to all fall apart now, and it would have been wrong to destroy all of it just so that they could have been a little more open in public.

When Thace finally did arrive, he said nothing. However, judging by the way his eyes were narrowed dangerously, Ulaz suspected that Kolivan must have told Thace _something_ about what he intended to do. Thace input the passcode onto the door to the storage closet before grabbing Ulaz roughly by his collar and dragging him inside. Ulaz grunted as his back met the far wall, and the door slid shut behind them, plunging the closet into darkness. A moment later, light came from the datapad Thace held in his hands, casting a glow across his face.

“Thace—”

“ _Shush_ ,” Thace hissed, shooting him an annoyed look. Ulaz immediately held his tongue as Thace turned his attention back to searching for something on his datapad—probably the report that Kolivan had sent him, one that Thace hadn’t yet deleted. His annoyance did not fade, and his brow remained furrowed as his claws tapped against the screen more harshly than he likely intended.

Only when he found what he was looking for did he turn to Ulaz again.

“Why in the _Void_ is Kolivan asking me to talk sense into you?” he demanded.

Ah. It was a strange question, as Kolivan was usually more thorough in his explanations—but perhaps he hadn’t wanted to risk sending information that could be found by the Empire if Thace slipped up… or he could have been worried about Thace _agreeing_ with Ulaz and had decided to save himself the headache.

“Have you been to the Gladiator fights recently?” Ulaz asked.

Thace hestitated for a moment, before he grimaced and nodded. “Commander Prorok was invited to join Zarkon for a match…” he explained, looking away again. His ears twitched nervously once—twice—before pinning back against his head. “Why do you ask?”

“The newest champion—”

Thace’s grimace morphed into a frown. “ _Ulaz_ —” he began in a warning tone.

“You haven’t even let me speak!” Ulaz complained. “How do you know it’s a bad idea?”

Thace shot him a incredulous look before he sighed. “Alright— _alright_ …” he said, sounding as exasperated as he looked. “Go on, then…”

“The lion is on his home planet,” Ulaz said.

“We only _assume_ that the lion is on his home planet,” Thace corrected—he seemed to have realized what Ulaz was intending to do, and judging by the frown on his face and the way he gritted his teeth, he was not happy about it. “Based on the accounts of _one_ scout, Ulaz…”

“Thace…” Ulaz said, voice going soft. “If he goes back, he might be able to pilot it…”

It was a long shot, of course… one where they were putting all of their hopes on the back of a single individual who had been traumatized by his experiences in the Gladiator rings. But Ulaz just had a _feeling_ about this, like he was sure it was going to turn out right in the end, somehow. Of course, after releasing the prisoner, he would have to go into hiding from the Empire, and Thace would be left at central command alone…

“You’re jeopardizing your position within high command on the _off chance_ that this alien can pilot a Voltron lion,” Thace argued, “What if he can’t? What if you’re endangering your own life for—for—” He cut off with a snarl as the fur on the back of his neck fluffed up in irritation.

“When we took these assignments, we agreed that Zarkon’s defeat was more important than our own lives,” Ulaz reminded him, though not unkindly—he knew that Thace was more than a little sentimental. He was too, of course, but he was better at masking it.

Thace was silent, ears twitching against the sides of his head. He made no arguments, but whether it was because he had conceded to Ulaz’s point or because he was lost in thought was unclear.

“You worry too much,” Ulaz said, stepping closer to him and resting his hands on Thace’s shoulders. Thace glanced up at him, brow furrowing in a frown, still appearing at least slightly hesitant. Ulaz leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together. “I’ll be careful—”

Thace scoffed. “You’re damn right you’ll be careful,” he hissed, though his tone lacked any real malice. His shoulders shook slightly, but he didn’t acknowledge it, pressing back against Ulaz’s touch. When he next spoke, his voice had gone softer, more tired, and his shoulders sagged. “Because if you mess up, I am not going to be able to pull your ass out of the fire.”

Ulaz remained in place, even though he knew that Thace would have to leave him soon—even though he didn’t _want_ to let Thace go. But he knew that if he was caught, and it was discovered that Thace had helped him in any way, shape, or form, then Thace would be executed for treason, same as he likely would be. Several soldiers who had been deemed unfit to serve the empire had disappeared and never come back. Ulaz knew that Haggar usually got ahold of them, but he didn’t have the clearance to know what she did with them.

He wasn’t sure he _wanted_ know, given what she had already had him do the prisoner he was intending to release.

The sound of sentries moving along the corridor outside caused Thace’s shoulders to tense under his hands again, but he didn’t move away from Ulaz—not yet, anyway. If anything, he leaned into Ulaz’s touch more. Ulaz sighed, drawing Thace closer to run his nose along Thace’s temple—and a soft, pleased purr rose in Thace’s throat as he wrapped his arms around Ulaz’s torso, pressing his face into Ulaz’s shoulder. Just for a moment, as he tightened his arms around Thace’s shoulders, Ulaz reconsidered his entire plan… but only for a moment.

He _had_ to do this—Kolivan’s reservations against it and Thace’s concerns for his safety be damned.

“I’ll miss you,” Thace admitted. His voice was little more than a whisper, muffled by Ulaz’s shoulder, but concern still permeated his tone. His grip on Ulaz tightened just for a moment before he drew back, meeting Ulaz’s gaze again.

“I’ll miss you too,” Ulaz said—he should have moved away then, but he didn’t. Instead, he—impulsively—leaned forward to kiss Thace, and Thace’s grip on his uniform tightened again and he leaned into the kiss. It was over far too quickly, and for once, Ulaz was the first to lean away.

Thace’s ears drooped as his shoulders fell, but he just as quickly collected himself again—righting his posture, schooling his expression… but he couldn’t fix his tone. It was still too soft, unbefitting of an Imperial Lieutenant.

“Be safe…” was all he managed to say. Then, he turned and disappeared from the storage closet, leaving Ulaz alone. He remained there until he was certain that nobody would see him come out, until Thace was long gone. It was the last time he saw Thace before blowing his cover.

He just prayed to the stars it wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm so mean :')
> 
> tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)  
> beta'd by: [Akumeoi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi)


End file.
